Skip to main content

The template strand DNA sequence of a small gene (with no introns) is as follows: 3' tacaggagagtcgctact 5' Determine the mRNA sequence for this...

When a eukaryotic cell needs to send genetic material out of its nucleus to create proteins, rather than send out its precious and sensitive DNA into the cytoplasm, it will copy its DNA and make a copy called messenger RNA, or mRNA for short. The copy will look much like the opposite side of a DNA strand with Adenine (a) nucleotides to match Thymines (t) on the DNA and Cytosines (c) matching Guanines (g). There...

When a eukaryotic cell needs to send genetic material out of its nucleus to create proteins, rather than send out its precious and sensitive DNA into the cytoplasm, it will copy its DNA and make a copy called messenger RNA, or mRNA for short. The copy will look much like the opposite side of a DNA strand with Adenine (a) nucleotides to match Thymines (t) on the DNA and Cytosines (c) matching Guanines (g). There will be one small difference: instead of using Thymine on the mRNA, the cell uses Uracil (u) nucelotides to match Adenines. 


We begin with our DNA code of:


tac agg aga gtc gct act


Once transcribed, before flipping the 5' and 3' sides:


aug uuc ucu cag cga uga


Each triplet of nucleotides will then code for a different amino acid to be added to the growing protein by ribosomes. All amino acids MUST start with the Met amino acid, which tells the ribosome to begin assembling a protein and end with a STOP codon, which says the protein is finished. For this specific amino acid chain the codons are:


MetPheSerGlnArgStop


Once flipped, your amino acid chain will be:


aguagcgacucuccugua


Your answer was mostly correct, except you found your amino acids after flipping the 5' and 3' ends of the mRNA, which caused you to read some codons backwards. In that case you never would have had a Met (your first codon should have been Ser) and you would not have had a Stop codon to finish the protein chain. I hope this helped you better understand the transcription process!

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Can you analyze the poem "Absolution" by Siegfried Sassoon?

Sure! Siegfried Sassoon fought in World War I and was wounded in battle; he spent much of his life speaking out against war, and these pacifist feelings are easy to see in his poems. This one, "Absolution," was published in 1917, the same year that Sassoon was hospitalized for what we know today as post-traumatic stress disorder. "Absolution" is a short poem that contains three stanzas of four lines each. The word "absolution" means "forgiveness," and... Sure! Siegfried Sassoon fought in World War I and was wounded in battle; he spent much of his life speaking out against war, and these pacifist feelings are easy to see in his poems. This one, "Absolution," was published in 1917, the same year that Sassoon was hospitalized for what we know today as post-traumatic stress disorder. "Absolution" is a short poem that contains three stanzas of four lines each. The word "absolution" means "forgiveness," and the v...

How and why does James Gatz become Jay Gatsby? Describe the young Gatsby/Gatz.

James Gatz, a poor Midwestern boy of probable Jewish lineage, becomes Jay Gatsby, a presumed WASP and wealthy socialite, when he moves to New York City and acquires his fortune. It is wealth that has allowed Gatz to transform himself into Gatsby. However, those who know his background (e.g., Daisy and Tom Buchanan) never allow him to forget that he is nouveau riche -- that is, an upstart who has just recently made his fortune,... James Gatz, a poor Midwestern boy of probable Jewish lineage, becomes Jay Gatsby, a presumed WASP and wealthy socialite, when he moves to New York City and acquires his fortune. It is wealth that has allowed Gatz to transform himself into Gatsby. However, those who know his background (e.g., Daisy and Tom Buchanan) never allow him to forget that he is nouveau riche -- that is, an upstart who has just recently made his fortune, whereas they arose from well-to-do families. Gatz became Gatsby through determination and discipline. At the end of the novel, the narr...

In chapter one of The Great Gatsby, what advice does Nick's father give him? How does this make him a good person to tell this story?

Nick says that his father advised him that, before "criticizing anyone," he "remember that all the people in this world haven't had the same advantages" as Nick.  As a result, Nick claims that he is "inclined to reserve all judgments," presenting himself to the reader as a fair and dispassionate arbiter of character, and thus, a reliable narrator.   The problem is that Nick immediately reveals himself as anything but reliable, as he then launches... Nick says that his father advised him that, before "criticizing anyone," he "remember that all the people in this world haven't had the same advantages" as Nick.  As a result, Nick claims that he is "inclined to reserve all judgments," presenting himself to the reader as a fair and dispassionate arbiter of character, and thus, a reliable narrator.   The problem is that Nick immediately reveals himself as anything but reliable, as he then launches into a discussion of how pe...